Liberal Party Victoria Background At a time when our justice system is in crisis with unprecedented court backlogs, delaying justice for victims and accused alike, this week’s 2021-22 State Budget delivers savage cuts via “a base and efficiency review” for the Department of Justice and Community Safety (DJCS). While the Attorney-General and Acting Premier have been spruiking modest investments in the justice system in recent days, the reality is that Jaclyn Symes is giving with one hand and taking with the other. The cuts amount to $321.8 million over the forward estimates (Budget Paper 3, p. 89, 99). The only way such significant cuts can be achieved is by slashing services and frontline roles.